Research and technology transfer in Terrestrial Ecology
NATURAL SYSTEMS HELP MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE Climate change is a complex process which results in a simple phenomenon: the mean temperature of the planet is increasing due to our emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere. Through photosynthesis, plants, algae, and some bacteria take in and temporarily store part of this atmospheric carbon, although not enough to compensate what we continue to emit. Catalonian forests, for example, compensate only 8,5% of our CO2 emissions, and we would need 11 times more forest surface area to compensate the full 100%.
DROUGHT REDUCES THE ABILITY TO CAPTURE CO2 With climate change, episodes of severe drought have also increased in the Iberian Peninsula. In the humid northern and northeastern peninsular forests, these droughts are reducing the capacity of plants to grow and accumulate carbon, while in the most arid zones hardly any effect has been noticed. This is due to the fact that in the humid regions we find forest species which actually have their origin in the center and north of Europe, and which are not very accustomed to living with little available water. This is especially important because the humid peninsular forests are those which currently capture the most carbon from the atmosphere.
Foto: JL Ord贸帽ez
CARBON & CLIMATE CHANGE Distribution of carbon stored in peninsular Spanish forest soils. The mountainous areas of the north, where humid forests are found, are those which accumulate the most carbon.
Carbon stock in forest soils (kg/m2) 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
FOREST MANAGEMENT COULD IMPROVE CO2 CAPTURE A scheme of forest management which maximizes the accumulation of carbon (in other words, maximum plant growth) could increase the role which forests, shrubland, and fields play in fighting climate change. One option would be not to log forests and allow them to reach maturity. Another would be to promote an irregular forest structure, since the combination of different trunk diameters improves overall forest growth. Also, when possible, mixed forests of conifers and hardwoods should be favored, since this way light is better used. Whatever the case, it is recommended that the period between loggings be increased in order to increase the residence time of carbon in the plant.